


The Baker and The Blacksmith

by Slumber_Demon



Category: Original Work
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Fantasy, Fluff, Gift Giving, Interspecies Romance, M/M, Orcs, Original Male Character(s) - Freeform, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25039738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slumber_Demon/pseuds/Slumber_Demon
Summary: Arden the baker keeps catching his orcish neighbor watching him from across the street, and soon realizes he is also watching him.
Relationships: Arden/Bjorn, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 5
Kudos: 30





	The Baker and The Blacksmith

**Author's Note:**

> Edit 1:Fixed some grammar and word changes from feedback  
> Edit 2: I hated how I ended the story it felt too abrupt so I changed it just a little.

He had noticed the stares and glances he had been receiving for a while now. The baker had been putting some fresh pastries on display when he had noticed the blacksmith from across the street was watching him. And like always as soon as the baker notices he looked away like he was guilty of nothing. 

“Are you alright Arden?” A regular who was about to leave with her loaves of bread had noticed how the baker had looked a bit off.

“Oh! No I’m fine, I just thought I saw something. Have a good day!” He quickly reassured her as she left with a ring of the bell on the door.

Arden was starting to wonder about his neighbor across the street and could only think of the small things he had heard from the customers and what he had seen. The most obvious thing about him was that he’s clearly an orc with his green skin tone and small tusks coming from his lower jaw, not to mention his large physique most likely gained from his profession. Customers would sometimes refer to him as quiet but polite and apparently he is very good at his job in metalworking. Arden wondered for a second on why he would catch the smithy occasionally looking at him at work, perhaps he was thinking about purchasing the new strawberry jam filled pastries he had just made, or perhaps he just didn’t like him. Either way Arden worried about how it may have come off as rude that he hasn’t gone over to say hello to his neighbor, even after opening his bakery three months ago. With that thought he formed a plan to bring some bread over to the smith and at least learn his name.

Before Arden could even grab a small basket for his care package the bell on the door jingled in its familiar sound. As he turned around the baker came face to face with the orcish smith he was just thinking about, standing right at the counter. He seemed nervous and appeared to still be lightly glistening with sweat from his forge, or perhaps he was more nervous than he seemed.

“Hello I uh… was wondering if I could get a loaf of bread…” He said slowly and nervously.

Arden laughed. “Well of course you can have bread! This is a bakery!” 

He stepped up to the counter to have a proper word with the smith, and to have a closer look. He was a massive man with a large chest and arms to match, his long hair was jet black with parts of it braided, his eyes were brown almost to the point of being a warm yellow color, and on his face was a small but prominent scar on his left cheek. Arden couldn’t help but to think of how handsome he found him, especially considering that a blush was now creeping onto his green face. “You’re in luck actually,” Arden spoke, “I was planning on stopping by to give you an apology gift”

The orc looked up in shock. “An apology gift? What for?"

“Well it’s been three months since I opened my bakery here and I haven’t found the time to say hello to my neighbor.”

“Oh!” he exclaimed with flushed cheeks, “I take no offense! You are clearly a busy man so there’s no need for you to worry!” He started to wring his hands. “Although, I wouldn’t mind a loaf of bread.”

Arden smiled and grabbed his new customer a fresh loaf, wrapped it in thin brown paper and twine, and pushed it toward him.

“How much do I owe you?” The orc said as he reached for his coin pouch.

Arden thought for a second and spawned an idea. “How about you tell me your name and it’s on the house.”

The orc looked at the baker and spoke: “My name is Bjorn. Nice to meet you.”

Arden smiled warmly. “My name is Arden! Nice to meet you Bjorn!”

* * *

Over the next three weeks Bjorn would wander over to the bakery and awkwardly ask Arden for a loaf of bread like clockwork. And in return Arden found an excuse to give the bread away for free with excuses ranging from  _ ‘One of my customers made me smile so I’m paying the kindness forward’ _ , or  _ ‘A fortune teller stopped by and told me to do it, so I’m sure I should do it’ _ , all the way to  _ ‘I just felt like it’ _ . Sometimes when the bread was exchanged between the two they would accidentally brush their hands, making both the men’s hearts race. Arden found that the more he saw the smith, the more he wished he would stay longer. But despite Bjorn making regular visits to the bakery, he was still his usual nervous self when he spoke to the baker. However, that didn’t stop him from attempting small talk; sometimes it seemed like Bjorn actually enjoyed it despite his nervousness. Arden even thought about bringing up the looks Bjorn gave him while the two worked behind their respective counters, but he didn’t want to scare him off. The more he thought about it the more he realised, he was also starting to stare. Before he could continue the thought however, the doorbell rang and in walked the large figure of Bjorn.

“Oh Bjorn I didn’t notice you walk over! Another order of bread?” Arden asked as he placed a fresh loaf on the counter.

“Y-Yeah of course! Heh, you know me.” The orc chuckled as he rubbed his recently bandaged hand

Arden took notice of the hand. “Oh no! What happened?”

“Oh it’s nothing, I just burnt the outside of my hand. It happens all the time!”

“Let me see it, I might be able to help.” Arden held out his hand for Bjorn which he stared at for a second before surrendering his bandaged hand. The smith’s hand was large and rough from working his forge, but at the same time it felt soft upon his own hand. The bandages fell away to the counter top, revealing the burnt flesh on the back of Bjorn’s hand. A painful injury, but a familiar one to Arden, baking and metalworking both deal with fires. He went to grab the small box he keeps under the counter, opening it to reveal some bandages and a jar of ointment. The jar was filled with a cream that was used to treat burns, Arden was quite familiar with using it. He took some and softly applied it to the burned skin, making Bjorn flinch from the sudden coolness. As Arden finished applying a fresh bandage onto the smith’s hand he looked up to find Bjorn staring at not his hand, but his face, with utmost softness. Arden blushed and laughed “You’re staring at me again Bjorn.”

Bjorn snapped out of his trance. “I… Wuh? Again? What do you mean again?”

“I catch you staring at me while I’m working a lot. You didn’t think I would notice?” He stated as the smith violently blushed and looked away.

“Well… Uhh… You stare at me sometimes! I catch you out of the corner of my eye!”

_ “Shit”  _ Arden thought, he believed he was being sneaky, but it appears he was caught a few times. “Well I…” He tried to recover but embarrassment quickly spread across his face.

Bjorn’s eyes lit up now that he knew he was not just imagining things, his confidence growing now that he wasn’t the only person blushing now. “Well now i guess we’re both guilty.” He leaned on the bakery counter, getting closer to the baker. 

‘ _ Is this really happening? _ ’ Arden thought. He had only just started getting to know Bjorn but this feeling building in his chest just couldn’t be ignored, he wanted this. The two leaned in closer to each other, the heat coming off their bodies combining. Their lips only an inch apart. ‘ _ DING _ ’ The doorbell rang as a customer clambered into the bakery already squabbling about how she could smell fresh fruit filled pastries from down the street. Arden and Bjorn were suddenly and disappointingly shot back into reality and were once again back in the bakery. They both blinked at each other with blushed faces, finally close to doing what they had been waiting to do for weeks. 

A mixture of both sadness and fear washed over Bjorn’s face. “I need to go.” He walked toward the door but stopped right as he grabbed the handle. ‘I… I’m sorry…” And just like that he was on his way across the street, leaving Arden with the completely oblivious customer perusing the baked goods, and the baker completely and utterly flabbergasted.

* * *

  
  


For the next week Bjorn did not even glance over at the bakery, Arden was sure about the fact since he watched intently for an answer of what happened between the two. Even though he waited for a reply, Arden already assumed that the panic that came over his neighbor was due to the brashness of his behavior which scared off the man. He would not blame Bjorn if he didn’t want to speak again, especially considering that he could only see the smith hammer away and file at his work for the entire week. Luckily, Friday afternoon had come and at last he could close the shop and only think of sleeping in when morning came due to the bakery being closed the next day. He had just locked the front door and started toward the back when suddenly, he heard a banging on the door. He quickly unlocked the door prepared to explain that the bakery was closed for the night but came face to face with the large figure of Bjorn. Arden swung the door completely open so he could see him fully, he seemed to be breathing as if he had just ran, his skin glistened slightly as if he had just been working the forge, and in his hand was a long object wrapped in cloth. Before Arden could say anything, the smith suddenly blurted out an apology. “Arden I’m sorry!”

The baker blinked in surprise. “Bjorn… What is going on?”

“I like you! I’ve had feelings for you for a while, but I was such a coward that I avoided talking to you! So all I could do is watch you from across the street! I thought I built up the courage to finally talk to you about my feelings, but all I could do is ask you for bread!  _ Bread!  _ B-But then…” Bjorn’s face softened at his sweet memories, “then you started to actually talk to me… I mean I was still a nervous wreck, but you actually tried to start conversations with me! I started looking forward to our conversations, so much in fact that my mind wandered while I worked and I accidentally burned my hand.” Arden looked down at Bjorn’s hand that was still bandaged, his eyes now large with surprise. “I was so embarrassed! I came to talk to you that day and tried to act like nothing happened! And then… And then you really got me talking, and I got so brave.”

Bjorn’s face was now completely covered in a blush, but despite his nervousness he continued. “I was such an idiot for running off, I even left you standing there in the middle of your bakery to think that it was your fault I ran. But now, I need to make it up to you!” The smith then took the wrapped object he was carrying and revealed it to Arden. It was a beautifully crafted bread knife made of a polished steel blade that could easily be used as a mirror, and a grip made of a wrapped leather cord traditionally used for weaponry which Bjorn commonly made. “There is a tradition my people practice when we fall in love. We use our skills to craft a gift of great meaning for the person we wish to be with.” Bjorn knelt down on the ground and bowed his head as he presented his offering to Arden.

Arden was completely swept away by Bjorn’s words, he found himself lingering on everything he heard. And the gift presented to him was the most magical thing he had ever been given before. He placed his hands underneath the cloth, afraid of tarnishing this precious treasure. He gazed at the mirror-like surface and saw himself, but the reflection soon became obscured by a teardrop from his own eye. “This is… This is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you Bjorn, thank you so much.” He said as he gazed longingly to his smith.

Bjorn looked up and immediately saw the soft and tearful face of his baker and arose half panicked. But before he could do anything about the steadily falling tears, Arden rushed into his arms and wrapped around Bjorn’s waist. The two stood in the front room of the bakery holding each other, the world slowly disappeared until it was just the two of them. “Do you accept my gift Arden?” Bjorn whispered softly.

Arden looked up at his smith and found himself intimately close to his face. “I accept your gift Bjorn, under one condition.”

“Anything…”

“Tell me what you’ve been meaning to say since you knocked on my door.”

Bjorn had no need for being coy and knew exactly what he meant, he leaned in close to Arden’s ear. “I love you Arden.”

Arden tenderly took Bjorn’s face into his hands and pressed his lips against his. They were finally in the moment they both dreamed of for quite some time. The two savored the feeling of each other on their lips, only being stopped by a hesitant breath of air. Arden looked up into Bjorn’s dark eyes and whispered. “Stay the night, please.” And with a sparkling eyed look, his smith nodded and followed him to the back of the bakery and up the stairs. The two were finally together on the quiet and peaceful night with nobody to interrupt or bother them, just the two of them being themselves. It was just... Perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of my first times writing a short story and is a fun way to practice freshening up my writing skills. I'm gay, I like romances, I like orcs, and I wanna kiss one, so I wrote this. I may or may not write a sequel.


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